Environment

5:25 pm

Tue October 29, 2013

Environmental groups weigh-in on Bartonville coal plant pollution

The State Pollution Control Board should reject a request to extend the timeline for pollution controls at a Bartonville coal plant. That’s the message from local and state environmental groups for the Edwards coal-plant in Bartonville. Houston-based power producer Dynegy is buying five Illinois coal plants from Ameren, including the Edwards facility. Kady McFadden is with the Sierra Club. She says the federal EPA designated the air quality around the plant below healthy levels:

“When we are seeing things like the non-attainment status come into play, when we have these new modeling, giving this company more time to comply with standards that they know have been coming for years doesn’t seem prudent,” McFadden says.

A report from the Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance says the plant emits sulfur dioxide levels more than seven times above federal limits. The group says that’s contributing to area asthma attacks and other breathing problems. Ameren says in a statement that the group’s report is flawed in its conclusion. The company says sulfur-dioxide levels have dropped in recent years, and the plant operates within E-P-A regulations.